Nightmare in Philippi
by EnigmaticAssassin
Summary: The year is 42 BCE. Amunet, the Mentor of the Roman Hidden Ones, receives a letter from fellow Hidden One Marcus Junius Brutus, who is in the Greek city of Philippi, asking for her help to lead in a battle against the combined forces of Roman Commanders Octavian and Mark Antony. How will Amunet fare in the battle? Please read and review!


I lay in a tent, resting inside the camp of fellow Hidden One Marcus Junius Brutus, which laid just outside of the city of Philippi. I came from Rome to assist him with a large problem. The problem was that the combined armies of Commanders Octavian and Mark Antony were about to converge on his camp, and he was desperate for another ally, due to the death of Gaius Cassius Longinus a couple of weeks earlier. I received his hastily written letter, and set off for Philippi. I arrived under the cover of darkness the night before, and after discussing tactics briefly with Brutus, I went to the largest tent in the camp, found a hay bed, and closed my eyes to rest. My rest was abruptly ended early in the morning with one of Brutus' soldiers waking me up.

"Amunet! Brutus wishes to speak with you outside. He eagerly awaits you." The soldier said, with a smile.

I yawned, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and grabbed my bows and dual blades. After acquiring my weaponry, I walked outside, to be greeted by the sunrise to the east. To my right stood Brutus, looking off into the distance, wearing a furry metal armor with a red hood, which I thought looked incredibly tacky. A stern look came over his face.

"There they are." Brutus stated coldly. "Octavian and Antony's men."

He pointed to the west at Antony's men, and then to the south, at Octavian's men.

"They will not succeed in taking you." I replied sternly, as Brutus picked up a square box. I tried to look inside, only to see a brief glimpse of a golden shroud inside before Brutus quickly shut it.

"What was in that box, Brutus?" I asked out of curiosity.

He returned a shifty look towards me.

"It's what they are here for." Brutus replied hushly. "It is a very enigmatic artifact we discovered only recently, and I have heard the Order of Ancients wants it."

I spat on the ground. A young man with brown hair clad in Roman armor approached him. Brutus handed him a small piece of parchment, and smiled. The young man nodded his head, and prepared himself for battle.

"I will stay here, and command my two squadrons." Brutus began, as he pointed them out to me. "You can pick a squadron, and combat the Romans that are there."

I turned my head to the south, to see Octavian's forces starting their march. I flashed out my hidden blade.

"If I get a chance at Octavian, I'll take it." I muttered.

Brutus patted me on the shoulder.

"Fight well, Amunet!" Brutus exclaimed. His attention was quickly turned to one of his sentries.

"Roman forces are converging! Permission to engage?" The sentry asked, pulling out his bow.

"Permission granted!" Brutus shouted. "Liberators, CHARGE!"

Brutus' men yelled, and charged into the battlefield, swords raised high in the air. I twirled my dual blades, and rushed out of the camp to engage Octavian's soldiers in the marshes. I stabbed a soldier with my hidden blade, ending his life in a spray of blood, while grabbing his sword from his dying hand. With incredible precision, I hurled his sword into a nearby soldier's heart, just above a liberator's head. He saluted me before he met his bloody end at the hands of one of Octavian's men. He snarled as I charged him, and we locked swords. I unleashed a flurry of strikes, unable to find an opening to get to. In the midst of my striking, he landed two slashes under my breast, and two on my abdomen, which stained my gold and white robes with blood. Upon seeing the blood stain my clothes, I let out a fierce growl, one that I thought could rival a lion. With this newfound adrenaline, I broke his defenses, tearing his shield from his left arm, and ended his life with several slashes to the chest. After finishing him off, I let out a deep breath, and took a look at the carnage around me. The marshes have run red with the blood of Liberators and Romans alike, with every footstep I take covering my feet with a mixture of mud and blood. Bodies began to grow in piles all over the battlefield. Looking around, I could see Antony and Octavian's forces slowly pushing back the forces of Brutus back towards the camp.

 _We can't lose this battle,_ I thought, as I pressed on through the mayhem, keeping my eyes open for Commander Octavian. I smiled when I saw an elegantly armored man with blond hair sitting atop a horse, with several soldiers surrounding him. His head was exposed and vulnerable.

 _I've got you now Octavian, you Roman nek_ , I thought, as I pulled out my bow, along with an arrow. I quickly placed the arrow in the drawstring, and pulled back, aiming for Octavian's head. As I was about to fire my arrow, I heard one of Octavian's soldiers shout the words I did not want to hear.

"BRUTUS HAS FALLEN!"

I whipped my head around, causing me to lose focus and miss my target. As I put my bow away, I saw the man who shouted, and charged at him with my dual blades, letting out a fierce scream. The soldier screamed as the blades took his life from him. I breathed fiercely, as I pulled my blades out from his abdomen. Behind me, I heard a sword pierce flesh. I turned around to see one of Brutus' men fall at the hands of one of Antony's men. Before I could intervene, I was struck in the head by a blunt object.

"Take her to the crucifixion site. She will surely pay for serving under that wretch named Brutus." One of the soldiers ordered. "Hang her up there on the cross, to show everyone not to cross Octavian and Antony."

"Yes, General Rufio." The second soldier replied, as he picked up my limp body. As they were carrying me to the crucifixion site, I faded into unconsciousness, with Anubis, the Lord of the Dead, staring me right in the face with welcome arms.

* * *

 _I made my way through towards the outskirts of the Roman fort, hoping my disguise would keep up. Brutus left me a note, looking for an Egyptian woman named Amunet, who as an ally of his. Looking to my right, I could see a cluster of crosses, on which hung the survivors of Brutus' army. Below the crosses, I saw a group of Roman soldiers gathered around something. I approached slowly, and began to hear some chatter._

 _"She was captured by General Rufio, after putting up quite a fight."_

 _"Her crucifixion will be a clear message to all those rebels."_

 _The Roman soldiers joined each other in a laugh. While they were laughing, I managed to sneak my way to the front of the crowd, and was shocked by what I had seen._

 _There I found a woman, unconscious and bound to a cross. Her clothes were stained with blood. I watched as a Roman soldier sawed off the braid on her left side, dangling it beside his helmet, causing an uproar among the Roman soldiers. Another two Romans tore off her clothes, leaving her naked and exposed on the cross. Another soldier girded her loins with white linen, which was immediately stained red with her blood. A General approached, and smiled upon seeing the woman's body on the cross. I looked down to the woman's left hand, and noticed her missing ring finger. The woman was Amunet, Brutus' ally._

 _"Men! Hoist her cross up!"_

 _"Yes, General Rufio."_

 _I watched as four Roman soldiers hoist up Amunet's cross for all the Romans to see. After mocking her for a few moments, the crowd began to disperse. I made my way out of the site, and sat down several hundred meters away. Looking back towards the crucifixion site, I thought of a way I could rescue her. I began to lose hope, until I heard a female voice come from behind me._

 _"Julius Cassius?"_

 _I turned around to see a Greek woman with braided brown hair, clad in a while top that covered her breasts, which sported a golden owl on her shoulder. Around her waist was an elegant white robe with a red sash flowing down the middle. At first, I thought her outfit was Egyptian. Perched on her left shoulder was a Bonelli's Eagle._

 _"Who in the name of Jupiter are you?" I asked, drawing my sword and pointing it at her._

 _The Greek woman lowered my blade with two fingers._

 _"My name is Kassandra. Do you want to save Amunet, or no?"_

 _"I was going to, but..."_

 _"You aren't doing it alone. If you listen to me, I will be able to help you."_

 _The eagle chirped with happiness. I looked up at Kassandra, wanting to know what her suggestion was._

 _"What do you suggest we do?"_

 _Kassandra walked past me, and surveyed the crucifixion site from afar. I could see her wince as her eyes ran across Amunet's prone body on the cross. Her eyes returned to my face, with a confident smirk on her face._

 _"Alright, Julius. Here's the plan." Kassandra began. "I will find myself a suit of armor, while you still wear your armor. We will approach the site when the soldiers are inspecting the crosses. We will strike when they turn around, and get Amunet down from the cross. Do you understand?"_

 _I gulped. "Yes."_

 _"Alright. Just let me get ready."_

 _I turned around to survey the area, and saw the soldiers returning to Amunet's cross._

 _"Ready Kassandra?"_

 _Kassandra came up to my side, clad in Roman armor. I shot her a confused look._

 _"Where'd you get that armor from?" I asked confusingly._

 _"No time for questions, Julius." Kassandra replied. "Now, let's go save Amunet."_

 _I nodded my head in agreement, and followed Kassandra down towards the crucifixion site, with our mission in mind._

* * *

I could feel the intense heat hit my skin, along with the hot wind blowing in my face. I breathed in deeply, causing a great pain in my abdomen, and opened my eyes to see my arms bound by rope to a board. I could also feel that my feet were bound as well. I let out a pained scream and looked down, to see that I was wearing nothing but linen girded around my loins. It was stained with my own blood. I could also see the the wounds and scars on my stomach from the battle, staining my midriff red. My vision was faint, but I could spy two Roman soldiers standing at the foot of my cross, laughing at me as if I were food for the crows.

"So she was the Egyptian who was assisting Brutus?" One of the soldiers asked. "I never expected Brutus to be assisted by a woman. An Egyptian woman at that."

"Nice capture by Rufio." The second guard replied, as he lifted his spear towards me. "I've heard rumors from Rufio himself saying that she was the one who threatened to kill Octavian on the battlefield." I could feel the butt end of spear jab into my right breast. I winced as it hit me.

"She felt that one." The first soldier inquired. "Poke her again!"

The Roman soldiers shared in a laugh as the same soldier lunged the point of his spear into my midriff, piercing my flesh to the left of my navel. I gritted my teeth in pain as blood began to well from my pierced flesh.

"She was fighting fierce, until Rufio dropped her with the butt of his sword!" the second guard bellowed, as the first one joined him in a laugh. "But now she's nothing but carrion for the eagles and crows!"

I noticed my black hair wasn't at my side, and was shorter than usual. I could feel the scorching heat continue to take its toll on my body, feeling the sweat and blood drip down my body. An eagle that looked similar to Senu perched itself on the right side of my cross. I let out a deep breath, and watched as the eagle began to peck at the rope. As my vision began to fade, I heard the eagle screech, along with the clashing of swords and armor. My head fell downwards, with my chin hitting my chest, and my vision went black.

* * *

I awoke in a cave several hours later, still wearing the same robe I was wearing. I looked down to see that my body was wet, and cleaned of blood. The wounds still felt very fresh. Across from me was a young man with sleek brown hair, with a set of robes and bronze armor in hand.

"Who in the name of Ra are you, and why save me?" I questioned the guard, while covering my chest with my arms.

"Sit down and relax, my friend." the guard reassured me, as he set the robes down. "I will tell you everything."

"Get on with it." I spat.

"My name is Julius Cassius. Liberator. I saw them crucify you, and I couldn't stand seeing them crucify a woman like you." he replied. "You could fight, and I saw you holding your own on the battlefield. I thought it was incredibly barbaric to crucify a woman, so I killed the two soldiers harassing you with your weaponry, got your body off of the cross, and found a horse to get you to this cave."

I shot the young man a look of confusion.

 _There's got to be more to his story,_ I thought.

"What did you do during the battle?" I asked, sounding very confused.

Julius cleared his throat.

"I am the right hand man of Brutus." Julius replied, picking up the robes again. "I also saw you talking with him before the battle this morning. During the battle, I relayed information to Brutus, and served as a strategist, staying in the camp."

"What of Brutus?" I asked cautiously. "Did they capture him?"

Julius frowned.

"No he was not." Julius replied, sadness clouding his voice. "The battle ended with Octavian's forces breaching the camp before noon. Upon seeing this, Brutus retreated to Philippi with his capture and death imminent, he committed suicide, like Cassius Longinus three weeks ago. I fled shortly after the suicide, and searched for you immediately."

I let out a sad sigh, and fought back tears after hearing about the suicide of Brutus. He proceeded to hand me the robes.

"Here. You could use some new robes." He added, with a smile."I was working on them as a gift for my wife, before she was killed by Octavian's forces."

"Thank you, Julius." I replied, as I put on my striped teal top on, followed by clipping on my furry bronze pauldrons on my shoulders. I then peeled off the bloody robe from my waist, and slid the striped bottoms on, with exposed the sides of my legs. Julius handed me a couple of sashes, one colored yellow, and the other one had a beautiful shade of red for a color. Julius watched on as I tied the sashes around my waist, with the red one going over top. I followed that by putting my scabbard on around my waist.

"I forgot your boots." Julius stated, as he handed me a fine pair of leather boots, which were open at the bottom. I smiled as I put them on, especially when the fresh white linen at the top ran up to my knees. I proceeded to look at my left wrist, which was bare of my blade.

"Where is my blade?" I asked sternly.

"Right. How could I forget about your blades and bow?" He replied happily, as he went out of the cave for a few moments, only to return with my weapons and quiver. He handed them to me, smiling. Julius watched with fascination as I fastened my hidden blade to my wrist. I twirled my dual blades around by the handle, and placed them in my scabbard. I strapped my quiver onto my back, along with my bow. I followed it up with pulling my hood all the way up. An approving smile came across Julius' face.

"You look like a true Mentor, Amunet." he said, with a sharp tone in his voice.

"You didn't answer my second question." I stated, with the same sharp tone. "Why did you rescue me?"

Cassius let out a deep breath.

"It's in this letter written by Brutus." He stated, as he handed me a small piece of parchment. "I found it in my pocket after they tried to resurrect him with that mysterious Shroud. I received the letter before the battle, while he was talking to you. Read it."

"The Shroud?" I asked, sounding concerned. "Is it safe?"

Julius let out an annoyed deep breath.

"Yes, it is safe." Julius replied, sounding annoyed. "It is in the possession of these people called the Hidden Ones. They took it away after they tried to resurrect Brutus. Now please read the letter, for Jupiter's sake!"

I nodded my head, and began to read the letter.

 _Julius Cassius,_

 _If the battle at Phillipi against the forces of Octavian and Antony fails and I don't make it, be sure to tell the soldiers to keep my Egyptian ally, Amunet, alive. She will lead you from my death onwards. If trouble falls upon her, do whatever you can to get her out of Philippi, and ensure her a safe travel to Roma. With her blades on our side, we shall not fall._

 _Fight on, Julius._

 _Marcus Junius Brutus._

I folded the letter back up, and handed it to Cassius.

"Is that a better response?" Cassius questioned me, a stern tone in his voice. "A direct order, from Brutus himself. I saw you hanging up on the cross, and saved you from being food for the crows. By freeing you, I heeded his final order."

I looked back up at him, trying to fight the back my emotions.

"I thank you, Julius Cassius, for saving my life." I replied, with a bow of my head. "Should we get going? Brutus has tasked you with getting me to Rome."

Cassius peered out of the cave, and spied a Roman patrol passing by. He quickly darted back into the cave.

"Oh Gods no." he replied, as he brushed himself off. "Roman patrols increase in the evening, especially now that they could be after us because of what I did. Too risky."

"When would you want to go?" I asked, sounding quite confused.

"Tomorrow morning." Julius replied. "I'll see what I can do to procure us two horses by tomorrow morning, because my original horse left, unfortunately. From there, we will go to the port city of Neapolis, where I know for a fact there will be a ship there waiting for us."

I nodded my head, followed by a half smile.

"Rest for now, Amunet. I'll be back." Cassius reassured me, as he picked up a black wig, adorned with a gold headband. "Here. This is for you, since the Romans lobbed off all of your hair."

He handed it to me, and smiled as I fit it onto my head.

 _It feels good to have some form of hair again,_ I thought, as a smile crept over my face. Upon seeing me smile, Cassius returned a smile.

"Looks good on you, Amunet." Cassius said happily. "But now, I shall set off to find us two horses. Rest while I am away."

"Very well." I replied, as I watched him walk to the west, looking for the two horses that would bring us to Neapolis. In the meantime, I stretched my legs out onto my makeshift hay bed, laid my head down, and closed my eyes to get some very valuable rest.

I awoke early the next morning, with the light of the sunrise just touching the entrance of the cave. I saw a shadow appear. Anticipating the shadow to be a Roman, I flicked out my Hidden Blade, eager to strike. As the figure approached, I moved towards it, with all my limbs aching from being up on the cross for so long. I took a deep breath, and looked up to see Cassius, with a look of dejection on his face.

"Cassius! What is wrong?" I asked, sounding concerned. "Were you successful in locating the horses?"

"No, I wasn't." Cassius replied, in a hush tone. "No horses were at the Roman stables west of here. Now I have no idea how to get you to Neapolis."

I watched as a Roman wagon, manned by two soldiers, carrying a shipment of hay along the road in the distance. I pointed in the direction of the cart. Cassius looked behind him, and saw the cart. He returned a look of confusion towards me.

"...you mean we hop into the hay cart and ride it to Neapolis?" he asked, sounding very confused.

"Correct." I replied, as I began my walk towards the hay cart. Cassius followed suit shortly after.

"We have to sneak up on the carriage quietly, and enter just as quiet." I stated, as we approached the slow moving cart. Cassius, still confused as ever, continued to follow, and watched as I grabbed onto the edge of the cart, with my limbs screaming in pain. Shortly after I did it, Cassius firmly grabbed onto the ledge beside me, and watched me leap into the hay, without making a sound. I could hear him take a deep breath, before he leaped into the hay cart. He landed with a little bit of a thud. His sudden sound caught the attention of the two Romans manning the cart.

"Did you hear that?" the passenger soldier said quietly, turning around. The driver turned towards the passenger. "It's as if something is moving inside the cart!"

The driver rolled his eyes.

"You say that about every carriage!" The driver shouted. "It could just be rats for all I fucking care! Let's just focus on getting this cart of hay to Neapolis, okay?"

The passenger frowned, and returned his focus ahead of him. I turned to look towards Cassius, who had a large grin on his face. I held my finger up to my mouth, telling him to be quiet, or else our cover would be blown. He heeded my order, as we both laid flat on our backs as the cart carried us towards our destination.

The cart came screeching to a stop. Pushing aside the hay, I could see the sunset to the west, with the buildings of Neapolis surrounding us. Upon hearing the sound of feet hitting the ground, I readied my hidden blade, and pointed at Cassius' sword. He pulled it out of his scabbard and readied himself. As the two Roman soldiers began to clear the cart of hay, we struck with our respective weapons. Cassius plunged his sword into the heart of the passenger, and watched his body fall to the ground, dead. I watched as my hidden blade pierced the jugular of the driver, and quickly pulled the blade out, to see the driver choking on his own blood. I watched his lifeless body fall to the ground. Cassius and I grabbed the bodies, and placed them in the cart, covering them up with hay. I led Cassius over to a bush, where we took cover, and examined the port before us. The city and port of Neapolis were in a state of near ruin, from when the Romans assaulted the city just to look for Brutus and Cassius. From what I had heard, not a single life was spared, leaving the city an abandoned shell of its former self. Sitting at the lone dock was a Roman Trireme.

"Is that the ship you were speaking of?" I asked, pointing at the ship docked in the small harbor in the distance.

"Yes, it is." Cassius replied, nodding his head. "But the port is crawling with Romans. We won't be able to get there with them there."

I let out a deep breath, and turned to him.

"I shall take them out quietly." I replied with confidence. "It is a small port, and I am counting six Roman soldiers. Stay here, and keep quiet."

Cassius groaned, and crouched further into the bushes. I climbed up to the roof of a nearby building, and spied three Roman Archers each patrolling an individual rooftop. I quietly pulled out my bow and loaded an arrow. I drew back on the drawstring, and aimed for the nearest archer. With high precision, I released the drawstring, and watched as the arrow head lodged itself into the archer's left eye. He let out a brief scream before collapsing to the ground.

 _One down, two to go_ , I thought, as I reached into my quiver for another arrow. I turned to my left, and found the second archer, who was pacing around the roof. I drew back on the string, and released the arrow as the archer was walking to my right. I watched as the arrow curved to the left, and landed square between his eyes. I flashed a smile of approval, and walked a few paces to my right. Before me was a zipline, and at the end of said zipline was the final archer. I let out a deep breath, rubbed my hands together, and ran towards my target. I grabbed the rope, and glided down, just as the archer walked past me. I landed quietly, and stabbed the archer in the neck. I watched as his body slouched down to my feet. I took a couple of quick breaths, and looked to my right. A rope was tightly stretched between the rooftops, and stationed beneath was a Roman soldier, along with a companion of his walking in the short distance. I looked down at my target, and readied my hidden blade. I leaped down behind him, and plunged it into his left jugular as I ripped his sword from his hands. I twirled the sword around in my right hand, and threw it at his accomplice, hitting him in the chest. I began to walk forward, only to see another soldier dart out to examine the corpse. He looked up to see me, and recognized me immediately by the bleeding wounds on my midriff.

"You! You're that Egyptian rat who was aiding Brutus! You're the one we crucified!" He exclaimed, pointing at me as he drew his sword. "I can't wait for them to crucify you again, where I will throw my sword at your vermin pecked corpse, in honor of my friend!" I remained motionless, and returned a stern look towards him. He growled at me, and charged with his sword held high. I didn't move a muscle, and watched as Cassius sprang from my left, thrusting his sword into the soldier's chest. The body fell to the ground, with a blood puddle beginning to grow around it. Cassius pulled his sword out of the soldier's chest. I crossed my arms and smiled with approval.

"That was quite the save, Julius." I replied, as he spat on the soldier's corpse. "What of the sixth soldier guarding the port? Is he nearby?"

Cassius smiled, as I knelt down to close the solider's eyes.

"He has been taken care of, Amunet." Cassius reassured me. "I grew tired of waiting in the bushes, so I sought out the last guard for you while you were taking care of the rooftop archers. I caught wind of the seventh one, and tailed him, waiting to make my move. It clearly paid off, did it not?"

I cocked my head to my side, and smiled again.

"Come. Let us go to your ship. I'm sure those men inside are eager to get rowing."

We both chuckled, and walked towards the ship. The ship itself looked very menacing, with elegantly designed sails and an eye painted on the side, with a ram at the bow. Along the port and starboard side, were three distinct rows of oars, a man on each one. We boarded the ship, where Cassius was met by the crew with jubilant greetings. I quietly walked up to the helm of the ship. Cassius walked up to a door on the deck, and pulled on a rope to open the door. He peeked below the deck of the ship to cheers of adulation.

"CASSIUS!" the rowers bellowed. "You made it! Where are we setting sail to?"

"Rome, men." Cassius replied. "For we are transporting a cargo that is more valuable than the gods! Let the rowing begin! Sails up!"

I nodded my head in disbelief as he returned to the helm of the ship. The crew readied the sails, making sure they were in proper order. I watched the ship list to the left, with the sails full, towards the open sea. Once we were out on the open sea, I pulled my black hood up. I proceeded to place my left hand on his right shoulder.

"You handled yourself well in saving my life." I stated, as we both looked off into the horizon. "I have a proposition for you."

"What might this proposition be, Amunet?" Cassius asked.

I cleared my throat.

"I guess you don't know this, but you will now. I am the Mentor of the Roman Hidden Ones." I stated, turning my head towards him. "I recruited Brutus into the Hidden Ones four years ago, and I want to recruit you to our cause. As my personal apprentice."

A look of shock came across the young man's face.

"I...I..." Cassius stuttered, trying to find the words to respond.

"I'm sure Brutus would have wanted you to join, to fight alongside him in battle." I replied reassuringly. "Think of your wife. Who will avenge her death? With your brave heart and your talents with weaponry, even Octavian's army couldn't stop you."

The look of shock quickly turned into a smile, with tears flowing down his cheeks. His crew mate beside him took the wheel. He looked at me, and gave me a hug, burying his face in my left shoulder. After letting go of the hug, we held on to our left hands.

"Yes! Yes, I will be your personal apprentice, Mentor Amunet." He said, with a wink of his eye.

"Welcome then, Brother." I replied, nodding my head curtly. "I will formally induct you into the Hidden Ones upon our arrival in Rome."

Both of us smiled, and hugged again. We both returned our eyes to the west, the direction in which Rome was located. Deep down, though I may not have shown it, I felt great sorrow in losing an ally like Brutus, but expressed gratitude in Julius Cassius, the young man who risked his life to save me from death.


End file.
